Jim Carrey was the perfect choice to play a dog catcher in quirky new comedy THE NUMBER 23, because in real life he's obsessed by the number.

Carrey insists many conspiracy theorists are obsessed by the number 23, because it keeps cropping up in modern life - he just can't decide whether it's a good or a bad omen.

He says, "I've had an obsession with the number 23 for years. I see it everywhere - license plate numbers add up to it.

"One of my best friends turned me onto it and he's been writing down 23 things forever - the human body has 46 chromosomes, 23 for each parent and he'd go on and on how this 23 number pops up.

"There are actually societies out there that follow the number 23. It's a very odd thing, but I see it everywhere. Those things go on in my head and I have to put them some place.

"I even changed the name of my company to JC23 a couple of years ago because, for me, it culminated to the 23rd psalm, which is about living without fear.

"I was explaining this obsession to somebody and they said, 'Well, I have a script called The Number 23.' I had to see the script and I couldn't put it down.

"I gave it to my friend, and he read it in about an hour and a half and I came back in and he was on page 23 circling every 23rd word trying to see if there was a code.

"This is what I want to do to an audience. I want to turn them into these people who see 23 everywhere."